Thoughts of a Hero
by broadwaybear
Summary: I decided to try to make a little ficlet for every main hero/heroine. They're just some deep thoughts the characters might ponder at some time. Try it and let me know how you feel!
1. Invincible

_Invincible_

_**Invincible. That's what they called him, Superman, the Man of Steel, and plenty of other names. 'But I'm not any of those things.' he thought, 'I never have been and I never will be. I'm just Clark Kent, a man from the 21st**__** century who got lost in the 31**__**st**__**.' **_

_**Earlier that day someone had seen him in a crowd and, of course, recognized him immediately, they shouted out "It's Superman!" and that sent the crowd rolling. Thanks and praise were handed out even where Clark thought it wasn't deserved. None of these people understood; it wasn't him most of the time, in fact, if it wasn't for Brainy he wouldn't even be in the time period. But the crowd didn't to hear it, they just bombarded him with praise to the point he had to fly away to escape them just to be on time for his next briefing.**_

_**He'd mentioned this to Lighting Lad shortly after, and the other boy's reply was:**_

"_**Get used to it, for now at least. Maybe this is why you have a secret identity in the future. People are just looking for someone to believe in. Your it."**_

_**So he'd deal with it. He'd stay strong for those people who so badly needed to believe that there was some good in the universe. He'd be a symbol of justice and hope. And, even though he could not be truly invincible, he would never allow himself to be truly defeated and he would remain that way for all of eternity. **_

_**There this is just a little something I'm trying. I'm going to try and make a little, tiny piece for each main super hero, just some random deep thought there having. Tell me if you like it or if you have any ideas for me to consider for other characters! ~BBear**_


	2. Names

**Names**

Superman X. That's all he ever was before The Legion. Then, The Legion gave him a name, Kell-El. While it was still technically Superman's name, Superman never used it, so it was really all his. All he used to be was one in a line of failed experiments, clones of the original, but never as good.

Now he wasn't, he was more than another experiment, he was more than a mission. He was a part of something. Something big, something that would save the universe and he had no doubts about that. Not any more.

The thing that really got him though, was that although he was a part of something that big, he was never one of many. He was a separate entity, he was valued as more than just something to be replaced should he fail, he actually _meant_ something to them. They valued his opinion, relied on him, _trusted_ him. They didn't just give him orders and expect him to obey. And, by doing all of this, they gave him his own identity. He was no longer just _Superman X_, no he was _Kell-El_ (or just 'Kell' to those who considered him a friend).

'Friends' he thought suddenly, 'That's what they are to me, friends. Maybe even more than that. Maybe, this is what it means to have a family.'

This thought pleased him more than he could have imagined in the months before he met The Legion of Super Heroes. To think, all this madness started with them simply giving him a name.

That's all for Kell, not sure who I'll do next, but I promise to do it well! Same deal as last time, like it hate it, have any ideas? Just let me know! ~BBear


	3. Hurt

**Hurt**

It hurt. It hurt when ever some small child cowered away from him as he attempted to get them out of a dangerous situation. It hurt when adults, and even those he considered comrades, friends even, shuddered a bit in his presence. They did it discreetly, if they even realized they did it at all, but when all five of your sense are super-charged it's hard not to notice.

Brin Londo, Timber Wolf, had these thoughts often, now was one such time. The hurt, the feeling of betrayal, would never go away, but that was the price he paid for his 'gift'. 'There are those who don't though.' he thought, cheering up a bit at the thought of his few close friends. Saturn Girl, Superman, Lightning Lad, Cham, Bouncing Boy, Brainy, and Phantom Girl had never done any of those things. They teased him, annoyed him, got annoyed _by_ him, but they had never truly feared him. Sure, he had scared them at first when he kidnapped Saturn Girl, but even them they feared _for_ Imra, they weren't scared of how he looked, or the monster he was then.

It felt good to know that he would always be accepted by them, even when the rest of the world didn't. 'Sometimes the rest of the world doesn't fear me, though.' he considered this thought, thinking about just a few days ago, when he had pulled a small baby from a crumbling building. The child's mother had accepted the baby from him, looking up at him, not with terror filled eyes and hands quickly snatching the crying baby from him, but calmly accepting the babe, her eyes brimming with gratitude.

It had felt so good then, and it still did. The knowledge that his curse had granted someone else a life. Thinking on it he realized something: if the man he only grudgingly called 'father' hadn't messed with his DNA that baby, and hundreds of other people, would have died. He actually owed quite a bit to that horrible man, something he would never admit.

Through this revelation came another:

'I wouldn't give this up. Even if I could.'

--

Same deal, thanks to those who reviewed! BBear


	4. Invisible

**Invisible**

Invisible. Tinya, Phantom Girl, had always been invisible while in her mother's presence. For every 'formal engagement' (and _every_ engagement was formal) she was just there, a wall flower; she looked pretty and made her mother look good just by smiling. But she was so much more! She could _do_ so much more. She could help people and she knew it. All she needed was the opportunity.

The Legion was her opportunity, and she recognized that immediately. She had to duck around her mother just for an audition, though, and she felt horrible about that, but there was no way she would give up her only chance to do something with herself. So she auditioned and she made it!

'I thought that would be the hard part' Tinya mused, 'Boy was I wrong. The hard part was proving to everyone else that I could pull my own weight.'

Everyone had automatically assumed her mother's influence had gotten her in, so she had to work twice as hard as everyone else to prove them wrong. The trust was slow coming, but it was worth the effort. Those who had viewed her audition knew who she was and what she was capable of from the get-go; it was the rest of The Legion she had to impress. She had finally won them over when Timber Wolf came, stupid chivalry! He hadn't been like that with any of the other girls! But just as with the rest of the doubters she proved herself to the Wolf quickly enough and they actually became fast friends.

She never regretted joining The Legion, becoming visible to the universe, it had felt so good to stretch her wings. Maybe one day she would take up her mother's mantle and go into politics, but that day was a long time coming. And if she did, it wouldn't be as her mother's daughter, but as someone completely new. Someone visible.

But for now she would be a hero, a friend, a Legionnaire, and most importantly, she would be Phantom Girl.

End. Please review! ~BBear


	5. Constant

**Constant**

It is said that change is the only constant in the universe, Chameleon Boy 'Cham' is a perfect example of that. He was constantly in motion, 'rarely the same creature twice,' people would say; always smiling, always joking, always _changing_.

'Maybe if people stopped for ten seconds to look at what I actually do, they would notice a few things.' Cham thought bitterly. 'Like, maybe I don't _like_ always changing. Maybe I _want_ to be constant.'

If anyone bothered to look, they'd notice that Cham always melded back to his original form. Even when he had to change in order to fight he was the same creature. Few people seemed to notice this. One person did, though, one Legionnaire: Timber Wolf. The meta-human knew a few things about changing himself and when they first met (by pure chance), the wolf-man knew that Cham belonged with The Legion.

The Legion was exactly what the constant the young Durlan was looking for. It might change sometimes, but it would always be _The Legion of Super Heroes_. Timber Wolf understood Cham's need for a constant, so he offered the changeling a job.

It was perfect.

Cham had never felt better in his life, he knew what he was now: he was a _hero_. He could change as much as he wanted and that fact would still be true. It was difficult at first, sure, some claimed that the only way he got in was through his father, but he proved himself quickly enough, and always had Timber Wolf's (and -with one comes the other- also Phantom Girl's) help.

The Legion gave him just what he was looking for, what he _needed_, that one constant. No one could change the fact that he was a hero, and it would be that way for the rest of eternity. That, he knew, would never change.

Thanks to all those who reviewed. Keep it up! ~BBear


	6. Chubby

**Chubby**

Chubby (fat if you don't care too much about being p.c.). That's what other kids had called him. Bouncing Boy was picked on a lot as a child. Sure, he was overweight, but he honestly couldn't do anything about it! Then, after it developed into a power, the teasing got worse. After all, even he admitted, it _was_ a pretty lame power. He found his uses for it though, even bullies were intimidated by two-hundred pounds of blue-clad boy coming at them.

He tried out The Legion simply because he had nothing better to do with himself. It came as a huge shock when _somebody_ thought he had potential, he joined reluctantly, worried that it was a joke. It wasn't.

Kids still made fun of him, but that was reasonable, he did have a dorky power. It was all right though, because he was doing something useful with himself, a feat he had believed impossible. He still didn't have many friends, but he was used to that.

Then Triplicate Girl entered. She was nice, quirky, and never once looked at his size, she just smiled and accepted him. It was nice to have a friend, finally. And through Trip he made _many_ friends and he got better with his power, eventually, he even rose to the top ranks of The Legion. Then, for a bit, he _led _The Legion. (Not that he wasn't happy to end his term.)

'It was actually kind of nice when Trip became Dou Damsel. Not to say it was a good thing!' He thought. 'It just felt good to finally repay her for all she had done for me. Even when she got her third self back, she now knows that I will never let her down.'

Friends, acceptance, who would'a thought he could get all that just by being chubby?

Same as always. R&R, thanks to all those who have been doing so. You're a major inspiration! ~BBear


	7. Smart

**Smart**

Smart. That's what Brainy was: smart, twelfth level intelligence, the brain behind the brawn of The Legion. Something he could truly be proud of. He had wandered for a short while after leaving his 'home' planet, the first to do so ever. He didn't know what to do with himself. He rejected the physical appearance of a Coluan, he rejected the mentality of the Coluans, he rejected everything that being Coluan stood for.

So, what was he? Where did he belong?

He simply wandered for a few months, until he saw the Legion fighting for the first time. He knew that was where he belonged, The Legion was the way for him to truly reject everything his predecessors held dear.

He 'auditioned' the first chance he got, they accepted him right away, but he ran into trouble when Cosmic Boy, the leader at the time, found out what he was a few weeks later. They were furious, it took him almost a year to gain their trust. It was frustrating, but once he did he rose quickly in rank. He became the backbone of The Legion, he designed nearly every gadget they used, they had no idea how they got along without him to before.

He did it all because he was smart.

'What did Superman call me again?' Brainy thought, staring out the shuttle window at the stars, 'Muy intelegente. Very intelligent, old Earth language; Spanish.' he smirked. That he was, and he knew that no matter what the original Braniac had done, he was not the original Braniac.

_He_ was Brainy, the brain of The Legion, and he was proud of it!

This one's a little different, I think. There's no real specific time frame here, but it's obviously pre-takeover by Braniac 1. Please review!

~BBear


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